Words by Rene Rosierse
The Boo Radleys just released their ninth album ‘In Spite Of Everything’. Formed in 1988, the band had their great break through in 1995 with ‘Wake up Boo!’ from their number one album ‘Wake up!’. Now, after all those years, they seem more relevant than ever.
‘In Spite Of Everything’ is an amazing return of a band which once again combined shoegaze, Britpop, indie pop and rock all in one album. Starting with a The Primitives-meets-Lightning Seeds-esque track, ‘Affected/Rejected’, the band set the tone for the album. It’s followed by more catchy indie pop and shoegaze tracks, such as ‘Living Is Easy’, which is musically as catchy as its predecessors on the album but as the song reaches the end it becomes the most personal echo on the album as it deals with the tragic loss of Tim Brown’s oldest son.
Towards the end of the album, which concludes a heavily indie-infused, Britpop-inspired, and shoegaze-y musical journey, The Boo Radleys make their final mark. With ‘In Spite Of Everything’, the band wanted to create an album contrasting the light and the darkness of life, with themes of loss and love weaves all the way throughout. They succeeded big time, with aforementioned track ‘Living Is Easy’, and closers ‘ Song for Natalie’, and ‘Wasn’t I Enough?’, these truly highlight what the band aimed to achieve.
The album has landed in the official charts, with a number 16 in the Independent Albums Chart and a number 41 in the Physical Albums Chart. The Boo Radleys are currently touring through England and Ireland with shows in Dublin, Blackpool, Macclesfield, and Birmingham yet to take place, this is your chance to see a band that’s seen it all yet still has more to share!
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